News and Events

Latest News

8/1/08

An old friend has returned to SAFE...but under less than happy circumstances. Bennedetto, born to pregnant feedlot rescue mare Vivian, was badly injured in a pasture accident at his adoptive home, and his owner, unable to afford surgery, surrendered him back to SAFE. Through the generosity of Dr Hannah Evergreen, along with several very kind donors, Benny had surgery to repair a severed tendon on June 13. His recovery has been long and slow, and at one point we feared it would not be successful, but he appears to be through the worst of it now. He remains on stall rest, and has proven to be an incredibly sensible little patient. For continuing updates on Benny's progress, please visit his thread on the SAFE Message Board. With luck, he will be able to be offered for adoption again very soon.

7/22/08

The nine remaining Saddlebreds seized by King County Animal Control in Carnation WA have all been signed over to SAFE, and are now being offered for adoption. In preparation for adoption, Kokomo, Phoenix and Sinatra have been gelded; and Annie has been put into training and started under saddle. We are very pleased to announce that Kokomo, Dutchess and Emma have already been adopted and moved to their wonderful new homes. Visit the SAFE Message board for updates on these lucky horses! Anyone interested in adopting one of the remaining horses, or any of the horses offered by SAFE, is encouraged to fill out and submit an Adoption Application.

5/24/08

We are deeply saddened to tell you that Lily was humanely euthanized today. Lily, one of the foals from the Carnation seizure, was rescued along with her dam, Willow, and seemed to be thriving these past three months. But two weeks ago, we noticed that Lily wasn't acting her normal fiesty self, and discovered she was running a temperature of 104.5 degrees. Attempts to lower her temperature were unsuccessful and so Lily was admitted to Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital in Snohomish WA. There it was discovered that not only did she have an infection, she also had an alarmingly low platelet count. Lily was suffering from an auto-immune disorder that was preventing her bone marrow from producing blood cells. She was placed in isolation and treated with steroids in an attempt to kickstart her immune system, but her body was just too ravaged from the effects of starvation and parasite infestation. After 8 days with no improvement, it was decided to let Lily go. She enjoyed a walk in the sunshine and a belly full of grass and clover before she was put to sleep. Lily was loved deeply by many people and she will be badly missed. It is heartbreaking to lose a horse this young with so much promise. We can only hope that justice will be served when her abuser goes to trial.

5/12/08

We lost a dear old friend today. On this lovely spring day, Pie laid down in the sunshine and passed quietly away. There was no sign of trauma or struggle. Pie was probably in his 30's and had been severely starved and neglected by his previous owners. After he was surrendered to SAFE, he made slow but steady progress back to health, largely due to the care he received from his two foster homes. Pie had recently been diagnosed with lymphoma, and all of us at SAFE were dreading the day when we would have to let him go. Like the gentleman he was, Pie spared us that decision, and left this world peacefully on his own. We will always remember Pie for his gentle good nature, his sense of humor, his will to survive the abuse he suffered, and his incredible dignity in life and in death. Rest in peace, good Pie.

4/28/08

SAFE is very pleased to announce that we have received a very generous donation from Noble Panels & Gates!

Thanks to the diligent and brave work of BoD member Jenny Mscichowski, Noble offered to donate a 12' x 12' Noble Shelter frame (including shipping) to SAFE. At Noble's suggestion, SAFE was able to order a 12' x 24' loafing shed instead, by paying the difference in cost between the donated shelter and the larger shelter.The great thing about this shelter is that it can be moved to another location if needed.

Please join us in thanking Noble Panels & Gates for their donation. Noble is a locally owned and operated company (they are headquartered in Milton-Freewater OR) so if you or anyone you know is in the market for shelters, panels, round pens, gates, or fencing, please consider giving your business to Noble, and be sure to let them know how much you appreciate their generous support of local rescues.

Visit their website at http://www.noblepanels.com/

4/10/08

SAFE has taken in a new horse—a two year old Half Saddlebred colt named Rhythm Three of a Kind. Rhythm was surrendered to SAFE by his owner and a concerned neighbor, at the suggestion of Snohomish County Animal Control, after he escaped from his enclosure onto a busy road. He came to SAFE with a horrific laceration on his pastern caused by barbed wire. His wound has been debrided and stitched, and we are cautiously optimistic that he will not only survive, but possible even be riding sound. Visit the SAFE message board to learn more about Rhythm, but be careful: the photos of his wound are extremely graphic! (Click here.)

4/5/08

A candlelight vigil to remember and honor the horses that died on two properties in Monroe and Carnation was held this evening in Monroe. The evening was hosted by Dr Hannah Evergreen, who saw an opportunity to bring horse lovers together to learn more about preventing such deaths. Skagit County Animal Control officer Emily Diaz, King County Animal Control officer Steve Kuscher, and farrier Daphne Jones spoke to the people who gathered about warning signs to look for when horse abuse is suspected. There were slideshows of the horses that survived the ordeal in Carnation, live music, and a solemn candle lighting ceremony concluded the evening.

For a more detailed story of the event, including photos, please read Can a Candle Light a Fire? on the Horsebytes blog.

KING-5 Television broadcast this story about the vigil on the evening news.

2/26/08

Ten horses have been seized by King County Animal Control at a farm in Carnation WA. These horses are severely emaciated, covered in rainrot and lice, riddled with worms. SAFE has taken in 6 of the seized horses -- two mares and four foals. Click here for more information on these horses.

News reports on the seizure can be found here:
KING-5 Television
KOMO-4 Television
KIRO-7 Television
Seattle P-I
Seattle Times

2/14/08

We have a date and a venue for the 2008 SAFE Benefit Horse Show! This year's show will be held on August 23, 2008 at Bridle Trails State Park in Bellevue WA. Plans are underway! Click here for more about the upcoming show.

1/7/08

Two severely emaciated horses have been voluntarily surrendered to SAFE by their owner. They are a 30+ year old gelding named Pie and a 13 year old Appendix mare named Isabelle. These two horses are in foster care in Renton WA where they are being fed a small amount of food every two hours to slowly bring them back to health. Click on Pie or Isabelle to learn more.

Click here to watch a video of Pie and Isabelle shortly after their rescue.

1/1/08

SAFE has been awarded three mares that were surrendered to Animal Control in King County as part of a neglect case. These mares are on hold pending recovery and evaluation. Their names are Dolce, "Little Miss" and Cedar County Queen. They are in foster care in Monroe, WA.

11/3/07

The second annual Pony Up Fall Fundraiser to benefit SAFE was held on November 3, 2007, and raised at total of $3,766 for the SAFE Fund! The event was well attended, and we are very grateful to everyone who donated items for the auction. Click here for more details.

10/15/07

The legal case involving the seizure of Rusty, Pal, and 20 other Skagit County WA horses came to an end today, and we are very pleased to announce that SAFE was granted possession of the two wonderful horses we have been caring for since June. Rusty and Pal (Titan) are now both available for adoption through SAFE. To learn more about Rusty, click here! To learn more about Titan, click here!

7/28/07

The SAFE BENEFIT OPEN HORSE SHOW was held on Saturday, July 28th at Mt Hood Equestrian Center in Boring OR, and it was a tremendous success! We had a huge turnout, wonderful participants, tireless volunteers, and happy spectators. Plans are already underway for next year's show. Show results can be viewed here.

6/24/07

"Rusty" and "Pal" are two horses that SAFE is taking on that came out of a seizure in Skagit County. Two rescues—Equine Aid in Monroe and New Beginnings Horse Rescue in Camano Island—took 22 horses off the property last week. SAFE was asked by Equine Aid to help with a couple of geldings as they were over capacity with all the extra horses.

As this is a seizure situation, at this time SAFE is merely housing and caring for the animals on behalf of Skagit County Animal Control. We will not be able to offer them for adoption until the resolution of the case against the owner of the horses.

Learn more about Rusty and Pal by clicking on their names.

6/15/07

Today SAFE received word that our application to become an Exempt Organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code has been approved. Donations made to SAFE are now tax-deductible. We sincerely hope that achieving this status will allow us to expand and enhance our ability to help horses and horse owners in need. And as always, we are extremely grateful for all of the help we have received from our supporters. We could never have achieved this without you.

If you have any questions about SAFE's 501(c)(3) status, please do not hesitate to contact SAFE's Treasuer, Bonnie Hammond, via email at bonnie@safehorses.org.

For more information about donating to SAFE, please click here.

5/19/07

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Bonne Chance, or Bo, who was euthanized on May 19. Bo was rescued from the Enumclaw livestock auction, and was diagnosed with a probable stifle ligament rupture or tear that was causing him a great deal of lameness and pain. His prognosis was very poor, and so the difficult decision was made to put Bo down. Although Bo was not with us for very long, he was loved by those who had the good fortune to meet him. Godspeed dear Bo, we hope you are running free and free of pain.

5/15/07

Monica Stephens of Natural Horse Savvy www.naturalhorsesavvy.com will be holding a Trail Clinic on Saturday, May 19th at Eden Farms in Snohomish WA. There will be demonstrations on clicker training, a trail obstacle course and a class on trail safety. There will also be a Silent Auction and a tack sale. Portions of the proceeds for the day will benefit SAFE. For more information, contact Monica Stephens at (206) 384-6121 or via email at cowgirl77m@yahoo.com

Click here to download a flyer for the Clinic.

5/7/07

With the help of some generous folks who donated money to SAFE in memory of Odie, we have been able to purchase two geldings from the Enumclaw Livestock Auction. They are Dobbin and Bo, and they are currently being rehabilitated in Monroe, WA. More to come on this story, stay tuned!

Read about Bo by clicking here. Read about Dobbin by clicking here.

3/17/07

Join us in April for a Bodywork Clinic with our vet, Dr. Hannah Evergreen! Bring your horse and learn some hands-on techniques you can use to help both horse and rider. Location will be Monroe, WA. More details to be announced shortly! If interested in attending with your horse, please contact Jaime at jaime@safehorses.org.

3/17/07

Join us on July 28, 2007 at the first annual SAFE Benefit Horse Show at Northwest Equestrian Center in Boring, OR!! We are currently seeking show and class sponsors. For more information, please click here.

2/21/07

SAFE has filed its application to become an Exempt Organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code!! Donations made to SAFE after October 30, 2006 will be tax-deductible if we receive our 501(c)(3) designation. All donations to SAFE are carefully recorded and tracked, and SAFE will promptly supply the necessary documentation for donors to receive their tax deductions upon receiving its 501(c)(3).

12/2/06

SAFE recently rescued two 2-3 year old, gray Welsh-type ponies out of the Colorado feedlot, with the assistance of Shiloh Acres and Ahimsa Ranch Animal Rescue. These two ponies will be donated to Ahimsa Ranch who will be in charge of their care, training, and ultimately finding their new homes. When rescues work together, so much more can be accomplished! We hope this is one of many future partnerships with other rescue groups.

11/1/06

SAFE is now registered as a non-profit corporation in the state of Washington! This is step one towards getting our 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. There are many more steps that we are in the process of tackling (articles of incorporation, bylaws, etc) and we'll keep you all updated on how we're doing. We are hoping for many more opportunities to open up for us once we do get our 501(c)(3) status.

10/29/06

Special thanks to Rosemary Collins who single-handedly organized a dinner auction fundraiser for SAFE! Rosemary raised $3800 for SAFE!!! We are incredibly grateful and appreciative of her efforts and for all who participated in and donated items to the auction.

9/22/06

SAFE has begun listing Thoroughbred racehorses from Emerald Downs who are looking for new careers. Retired racehorses can make excellent riding and competition animals when given time to adjust from their racetrack days. Please check out our Racehorse Rehoming page to see what horses we have available, and check back often as we will have more to list as the end of racing season approaches.

9/16/06

Vivian, Ben's dam, was rushed to Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital when was found colicking, with a temperature of 105 degrees and a heart rate of 80. Fortunately, she did not require surgery, and was able to go home after a couple of days on fluids. It was thought that the colic was secondary to a virus she had contracted. Thankfully, little Ben has remained healthy, and Vivian is on the road to recovery. Our vet bills exceeded $1800, but thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Vivian has been able to get the care she needed.

9/12/06

Meet our newest rescue, Desert Spark, a 5 year old Thoroughbred gelding rescued out of a feedlot in Colorado with the assistance of Shiloh Acres rescue. "Desi" weighed in at a mere 875 pounds and was just hours from being shipped to slaughter when we got him. We wish to offer our sincere gratitude to Holly Swander and Front Range Equine Rescue for facilitating foster care for Desi. He will be rehabilitated with Holly in Larkspur, Colorado and offered for adoption once recovered.

Follow his progress on our In Rehabilitation page!

UPDATE: Desi has been adopted by his foster mom in Colorado. Click here to see Desi's amazing transformation.

8/10/06 — Birth Announcement:

It's a COLT!! Introducing BENEDETTO! Born 8/10/06

Our newest addition at SAFE! This lovely bay colt was born just after midnight on August 10, 2006, out of SAFE rescue Vivian. See more photos and video of this adorable little one here. His name, Benedetto (Ben for short) means "blessed" in Italian. He truly is blessed, as his mother narrowly missed being shipped to slaughter while pregnant.

7/29-7/30/06

Thank you to everyone who attended our Groundwork Clinic with Dorothy Love and Rick Merzlok! It was a HUGE success! Click here for a full clinic report and photos!

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